Mini Sashin Garden, Marshmallow Plains.

The sweet scent of hot chocolate wafted through the air, blending with the marshmallow-scented plains, as the four-legged Golden Sashins ran around playfully. Some of them were gathered together, basking in the sunlight, while others dashed about in all directions as if playing tag.

Nom, nom, nom.

A few of them nibbled on the soft marshmallow ground like sheep grazing on grass. Watching them, other Golden Sashins laughed and began mimicking their behavior. However, the longer I observed, the more a strange feeling began to grow inside me.

First of all, the number of White Agwis had significantly dwindled.

And secondly, the four-legged Golden Sashins seemed way too well-behaved for Sashins.

Narrowing my eyes, I scrutinized the group more closely. About seventy percent of them were trying to keep their distance from me, pretending nothing was wrong, while a few more bounced closer toward me.

When I caught one of the playful four-legged Golden Sashins and unzipped its costume, sure enough, a Golden Sashin popped out from inside.

Caught!

As I opened the zipper, the Golden Sashin stuck its face out and grinned innocently.

Hmm.

Though I confirmed a Golden Sashin inside the costume, my suspicions hadn’t vanished.

Well-behaved four-legged Golden Sashins versus the more energetic ones. Some tried to run, while others came closer.

I returned the Golden Sashin to its costume and placed it on the ground, pretending to watch the wriggling Flaming Worm puppet in the distance as the White Agwis gathered around, giggling.

As soon as I pretended to lose interest, the escaping Golden Sashins stopped running and settled back down, pretending to relax once more.

No, these sneaky White Agwis…

The moment they let their guard down, I teleported, shifting instantly to a position next to one of the loafing White Agwis.

Gotcha.

Pulling off the costume of the four-legged Golden Sashin, I revealed its soft, squishy white skin inside.

Hehe.

As the White Agwi trembled, I viciously bit into its side.

Kyuhinghing!

The pitiful cry of the White Agwi echoed as the other disguised White Agwis and Golden Sashins started fleeing in every direction.

“We’ve been caught!”

“Mom knows! Run!”

The Golden Sashins giggled as if they'd been caught in a prank and scattered. Meanwhile, the White Agwis fled in earnest, desperately trying to escape.

But without time acceleration or ghosting abilities, there was no way the White Agwis could escape me. For these sneaky creatures who had tried to deceive me, only a terrible fate awaited them.

A massive cruise ship glided smoothly over the emerald sea, where Cheong and the siblings from Italy stood side by side.

The sun beamed warmly down on them, and a refreshing breeze stirred their hair, creating the perfect tranquil atmosphere.

“This place is really beautiful. With a view like this, I understand why the tickets were so expensive,” Cheong said, peering through a small telescope at the dolphins in the distance. On top of her head, the Orange Sashin mirrored her stance, using a toy telescope gifted by the Violet Sashin.

The adorable sight made the woman next to Cheong smile softly.

“Still, most of the ticket cost probably goes into avoiding or handling Object attacks,” said the man with a cigarette, clearly preferring to stick to the more pragmatic view.

The woman jabbed him with her elbow, clearly not thrilled with his comment.

“Oh, but the interior facilities are great! We should explore them later together,” she suggested, changing the subject. Cheong nodded in agreement, smiling.

Just a short while ago, Cheong and the siblings had been strangers. But after their Mini Sashins had exchanged a glance, they quickly became friends. Even with their imperfect English, they had managed to bond.

Mini Sashins truly were magical beings that could connect people.

As the woman poked the Violet Sashin, who was clearly not interested, she glanced up at the sky. “It’s about time, isn’t it? Shall we head for lunch?”

Cheong took her eyes off the telescope and nodded, agreeing. Together, they made their way inside the cruise ship.

Soon, they arrived at an elegantly decorated restaurant, with soft music playing in the background and the sound of a TV broadcast filling the air.

"The Korean Object Association has recently announced plans to release their new household Dolls into the market," the TV reporter stated.

"However, several research institutes, including the American Object Association, have expressed concerns about the safety of releasing the Dolls without thorough testing."

"The Korean Object Association has assured the public that all proper safety procedures will be followed and that the safety of the citizens is their highest priority."

Since their next destination was Korea, it wasn’t surprising that the news focused on developments from that region. Cheong frowned slightly as she listened.

‘This sounds kind of dangerous… Will it really be okay?’

But neither the Italian siblings nor their Mini Sashins seemed the least bit worried.

"Come on, Violet Sashin, you can win this!" the brother cheered.

Instead, they were busy fooling around with the bread served before the meal.

Nom, nom, nom.

The Orange Sashin and Violet Sashin were fiercely battling over the bread, tearing into it as if competing to see who could eat the most.

In the short time Cheong had been watching TV, they had somehow managed to devour so much bread that the Orange Sashin’s belly was sticking out like a balloon.

But sadly, the victor of the bread-eating contest was the Violet Sashin.

The Orange Sashin was disqualified—caught red-handed trying to sneak bread into its fluffy hair.

Whine, whine.

As Cheong consoled the Orange Sashin, who lay sprawled on the floor, she found her earlier worries about Korea slipping away.

‘Well, if the Orange Sashin could beat a “Giant God,” then surely a country full of Mini Sashins should be just fine.’

The White Agwis had disappeared from the Mini Sashin Garden!

“Mom ate them all!” The rumor spread like wildfire among the Golden Sashins.

A group of brave Golden Sashins, wearing explorer hats, was determined to find out where the White Agwis had gone. They ventured deep into the Marshmallow Plains.

Thump, thump, thump.

Cautiously, they descended into a massive hole that had mysteriously appeared in the plains, leading them to a vast cave entrance.

Gasp!

The entrance was lined with menacing spikes, upon which countless White Agwis had been skewered like kebabs. The poor creatures squirmed, kicking their tiny feet as they were slowly roasted alive.

Their agonized cries, Kyuhinghing, echoed throughout the cave, sounding like the wails of souls tormented in the depths of hell.

Hovering above the gruesome sight was a crystal orb displaying a simple text the Golden Sashins could easily understand:

“White Agwi Hell.”

As the Golden Sashins ventured deeper into the cave, they stumbled upon another horrific sight.

“Treacherous White Agwi Hell,” read the label hanging over the next area.

This sight was so shocking that many of the Golden Sashin explorers covered their eyes. It was so horrifying that many of them gave up on ever reporting what they had seen.

Kyuhinghing.

Seoul, Gangnam District, Object Association Building.

Sehee sat, waiting to be called in by the Object Association, glancing around at the other representatives from various research institutes who were also there. Every one of them looked tired, worn-out.

Idly, she poked the chubby cheeks of the Golden Sashin perched on her hand and turned her gaze to the bright, sunny sky outside. It was a day so perfect it made her want to lie down in the Sehee Institute’s courtyard and bask in the sunlight.

The laughter of children playing in the park below filled the air, blending with the sounds of couples strolling the streets. Seoul had changed a lot.

The "Association Dolls" had been on sale in Seoul for six months now.

At first, the public had been skeptical, but that soon changed as the Dolls proved to be astonishingly capable. They quickly became a part of everyday life, performing tasks like leading children to daycare, building skyscrapers, and even teaching in classrooms.

Some people even relied on them to earn money.

The more human-like they appeared, the more people grew dependent on them. Eventually, the thought of Seoul without these Dolls became unthinkable.

The Dolls were everywhere. There were only a few exceptions, like Mapo-gu, James Tower, and Sehee's own research institute.

If it weren’t for the Mini Sashins’ disdain for the Dolls, Mapo-gu and Sehee Institute would also have been flooded with them.

The Golden Sashin had once chased after her, equipped with a water spear and helmet, trying to prevent her from bringing a Doll into the institute.

Meanwhile, the American Object Association, including James, firmly held the view that “self-moving Objects” were a dangerous thing.

The people outside looked joyful, enjoying the lovely weather, but to Sehee, it all felt like the calm before a storm.